Ingham County Health Department is investigating an
emerging E.
coli bacteria outbreak at the MichiganStateUniversity
after 10 students were treated this weekend with severe gastrointestinal
illness that appeared to be E. coli poisoning. Seven remained
hospitalized as of yesterday; spokesman John Lux said
all of those who fell ill are responding well to treatment and their conditions
are “favorable for their recovery.”

Investigators are trying to determine where and
when the students ate based on swipes of their college ID cards in campus
cafeterias and eateries. The information on these activities is expected
back today and is hoped to help locate if bacteria in the food supply there may
still be a threat. “We are trying to get a grasp on how big this
(outbreak) is,” said Dr. Dean G. Sienko, Ingham
County Health Department officer. This is the first such food-borne
outbreak Sienko remembers that involves a health
department investigation at MSU in the past two decades, he said. The
investigation is in its early stages as investigators continue to work to
determine the scope and cause of the sickness and the specific E. coli
strain. Sienko believes that since the last
reported case of onset occurred on Friday, the outbreak may have fully run is
course, but because many who fall ill with food-borne illnesses do not ever
seek care, many others may have also been contaminated.

E. coli are a group of bacteria found in animal
intestines and feces. Some strains of Escherichia coli are necessary for
digestion; some are harmful, even deadly, such as the very rare and
toxin-producing strain E. coli O111 that is the culprit in the ongoing Oklahoma outbreak.
Also, of particular concern is the virulent, sometimes deadly E. coli O157:H7
stain that is generally found to be the culprit in E. coli-related food-borne
illness outbreaks. Both strains are among those E. coli that may cause
serious disease and death and are in a group called Verocytotoxigenic
E. coli (VTEC) and are linked to food poisoning and are very serious and can
cause fatal blood poisoning, cystitis, deadly septicemia, and death. In
the US,
E. coli is the leading cause of food-borne illness, accounting for about 73,000
infections and 61 deaths; last year, over 22 million pounds of beef and
vegetables were recalled due to E. coli outbreaks.

Scientists are concerned infections from antibiotic
resistant E. coli bacteria are spreading into the greater population and
several countries are now reporting such cases. Researchers compare this
to the worldwide problem of community-acquired MRSA—methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus—an antibiotic-resistant staph
developing resistance to the last drug of choice. In addition, emerging
data confirms that E. coli’s negative health effects
can remain for months and years and that these illnesses can have long-term,
lasting effects that can either linger for months or years or can show up
months or years after the original illness was seemingly resolved with problems
emerging as late as 10 to 20 years later in the form of kidney problems, high
blood pressure, and kidney failure.